Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Buy Used

$4.00

Comment: A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

Could anything be more perfect than a prairie wedding? Cassie doesn't think so, for a wedding brings:

Two lovebirds together, Aunts from faraway Maine, A long white dress with a wedding veil, Zinnias, Satin ribbons, Dancing under a clear blue sky, And a world that smells of roses.

And as the Witting family comes together for this most special day, Cassie sees that life brings:

The change of seasons, Brother Jack on Grandfather's lap, A brand-new car, Joy, Sorrow, And a special dance only Grandfather does.

Sarah, Plain and Tall began the Witting family's saga on the prairie. Now the story completes its circle with Grandfather's Dance, Patricia MacLachlan's poetic celebration about the enduring spirit of family.

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Who
Introduce readers, ages 6 – 8, to some of history's most interesting and important people in this lively compilation of biographies.
See more featured history for kids 6 - 8

More About the Author

Patricia MacLachlan was born on the prairie, and to this day carries a small bag of prairie dirt with her wherever she goes to remind her of what she knew first. She is the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb's Story; and Three Names, illustrated by Mike Wimmer. She lives in western Massachusetts.

In Her Own Words..."One thing I've learned with age and parenting is that life comes in circles. Recently, I was having a bad time writing. I felt disconnected. I had moved to a new home and didn't feel grounded. The house, the land was unfamiliar to me. There was no garden yet. Why had I sold my old comfortable 1793 home? The one with the snakes in the basement, mice everywhere, no closets. I would miss the cold winter air that came in through the electrical sockets."

"I had to go this day to talk to a fourth-grade class, and I banged around the house, complaining. Hard to believe, since I am so mild mannered and pleasant, isn't it? What did I have to say to them? I thought what I always think when I enter a room of children. What do I know?"

"I plunged down the hillside and into town, where a group of fourth-grade children waited for me in the library, freshly scrubbed, expectant. Should I be surprised that what usually happens did so? We began to talk about place, our living landscapes. And I showed them my little bag of prairie dirt from where I was born. Quite simply, we never got off the subject of place. Should I have been so surprised that these young children were so concerned with place, or with the lack of it, their displacement? Five children were foster children, disconnected from their homes. One little boy's house had burned down, everything gone. 'Photographs, too,' he said sadly. Another told me that he was moving the next day to place he'd never been. I turned and saw the librarian, tears coming down her face."

"'You know,' I said. 'Maybe I should take this bag of prairie dirt and toss it into my new yard. I'll never live on the prairie again. I live here now. The two places could mix together that way!' 'No!' cried a boy from the back. 'Maybe the prairie dirt will blow away!' And then a little girl raised her hand. 'I think you should put that prairie dirt in a glass bowl in your window so that when you write you can see it all the time. So you can always see what you knew first.'"

"When I left the library, I went home to write. What You Know First owes much to the children of the Jackson Street School: the ones who love place and will never leave it, the ones who lost everything and have to begin again. I hope for them life comes in circles, too."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

All right, class. Altogether now. How does one go about getting kids interested in historical fiction? Any ideas? I heard somebody mentioning starting the kids on that kind of thing early on. Very good! It's an easy enough task to read historical picture books to children before they can read on their own, certainly. Just load your bookshelves with some Patricia Polacco, some Patricia McKissack, and maybe a dash of Allan Say for good measure. The minute the children want to read their own books, however, you may find filling their historical fiction needs a bit trickier. If it isn't related to "The Time Warp Trio", parents often find their bookshelves sadly lacking in that whole early chapter book historical fiction genre. So what author exists to rescue you from this dire plight? Who else but Patricia MacLachlan, author of "Sarah, Plain and Tall"! The series that begin with this pleasantly slim novel has added yet another title to its mix. "Grandfather's Dance" follows the Witting family's adventures as everyone prepares for Anna, narrator of the first book, and her wedding.

Cassie is delighted. Her older sister Anna is getting married and everything in the home is far more exciting and unusual as a result. Usually Anna lives quietly with just her mother and father, her younger brother Jack, and their grandfather alongside the prairie. Now, however, three aunts are coming to stay, to say nothing of an uncle and a host of other relatives for the festivities. Alongside this large story comes the small tale of Jack's love for his grandfather and Cassie's love for the both of them. Grandfather knows that his time is coming soon, and when at last he dies Cassie must help Jack through his grief into acceptance.Read more ›

Cassie Witting has a little brother named John Jacob Witting, but everyone calls him "Jack," and he calls himself "Doggie." In the months before a big wedding, Cassie watches the relationship between her little brother and their grandfather. She is alternately amused and annoyed by Jack's constant aping of Grandfather's speech and movements. So is Grandfather.

As the wedding draws near and relatives begin to arrive, everyone is caught up in the excitement. But Cassie is an observant youngster and records things about her brother and grandfather. She notices Grandfather's temper growing shorter, even as his love grows larger. Despite what she notes, Cassie is still a child, and there are things she isn't capable of seeing until too late.

In this sweet closing to a beloved series, a family's turning point takes place before a young girl's innocent eyes. Rather than dwelling on the sadness of a special person's passing, this story is a celebration of all he was to his family. This sharing of endearment and loss is lovingly written in a way fans of the series will cherish. Its gentle treatment of death will be especially soothing to children who have lost grandparents. The sadness really can be tempered by the wonderful memories created between family members.

Young, or not-so-young, fans of the "Sarah Plain and Tall" series will find a great deal to love about this book. It earns its place next to its predecessors.

Just as spring begins on the prairie, young Cassie Witting's life is about to change. Cassie's older sister, Anna, is getting married. This event is the stimulus for a flurry of activity. In addition to wedding preparations, the Witting family must also get ready to receive family from back east, her mama's brother William and a collection of sisters referred to as "the aunts." Even her brother Caleb will return from school for the event. Cassie is excited about her sister's wedding. She contemplates what it might be like to get married one day and resolves that her dog would be the perfect husband. In the midst of all the arrangements and family reunions, Cassie notices that Grandfather has become short tempered. Her younger brother Jack (who refers to himself as "Doggie") loves Grandfather better than anyone else. This is evident by the way Jack imitates his Grandfather's every move. Cassie doesn't understand the significance of Grandfather's request to have Cassie dress up and have a pretend wedding so that he can attend. Cassie eventually realizes the reason for Grandfather's strange behavior.

Reading this book, one is privy to tender family moments, sharing both happy and difficult times. MacLachlan uses a string of symbols to signal the changes the family is experiencing. Among the symbols are the new family car, Sarah's wedding veil, and Grandfather's black hat. The reader recognizes the family's sense of togetherness. This gives them the strength they need to weather the changing seasons of their own lives and the "life" of the Witting family.

Although part of a collection of stories beginning with Sarah, Plain and Tall, the reader need not have read previous books to appreciate this touching final installment in the collection.Read more ›